


two step

by dcuros



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dancing, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 13:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16833547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dcuros/pseuds/dcuros
Summary: Goro and Akira, dancing in different universes (or maybe in just one).





	two step

The sound of static filled the cramped living room, followed by slow and gentle notes of classical music, crackly from the battered speakers of the secondhand CD player.

Two pairs of tiny feet shuffled in time with the beat, measured steps carefully carving a pattern around the school bags haphazardly scattered over the wooden floor. The small hand resting on his hip lifted a smidge, the other gripping his hand and guiding him into a twirl, and quickly replaced itself on his back just as his partner stepped into his space to slowly lead him into a dip.

Or tried to, anyway.

Goro squawked; the sudden shift threw him off-balance. He yanked on Akira’s shoulder, a vain attempt to both push Akira’s weight off him and to pull himself upright, but to no avail; specks of dust flew up, sparkling as they caught the light off the afternoon sun peeking through the window blinds, as two little boys crashed straight to the ground.

The music skipped— from the impact or from the scratches scattered all over the CD’s well-worn surface, they didn’t know— and then continued on to the next movement, oblivious to the state of its dancers. The light sounds of boyish laughter rose and fell alongside the sound of the flutes, the rhythm was set by the violins and light smacks Goro rained on Akira’s arm, in the hopes of convincing the other boy to get off him.

“Akira! What did you do that for?” Goro demanded when Akira relented and finally rolled off of him and onto the floor, still shaking from his ongoing giggle-fit.

Akira cheekily grinned back. He got to his feet before pulling Goro up with him, his hands busying themselves by dusting the both of them off. “Don’t you remember? That was in the movie we saw yesterday and I told you I wanted to try it out!”

“And I remember Kurusu-san telling you not do that. She said it would be too much for a beginner like me!” Goro argued. He feigned annoyance, glaring at his best friend as he moved to collect his things out from the messy pile, and eyed the door in warning. “I am never dancing with you again. Tell auntie that I’m sorry I won’t go to her wedding because I can’t dance since her son is being a jerk.”

“Come on, Goro, I’m sorry! Please don’t leave me by myself with a bunch of weird grown-ups, I’ll die of boredom! You pinky-promised you’d go with me and mum’s already picked out a suit for you too.” Akira whined. “We just have to do one dance like she says, and then we can play Phoenix Ranger Super Ultraforce on my 3DS for the rest of the night. I’ll even let you play Red!”

“Fine, but we’re doing a different dance for now. I don’t think I can trust you not to drop me again.” Goro ignored the roll of Akira’s eyes and tapped a few buttons on the CD player, until the gentle notes of violins and flutes were replaced by the brassy tones of trumpets and saxophones.

They swung into motion, their hands intertwined, rocking back and forth as they each looped their right arms around their heads before finally letting go. As his fingertips slid down the length of Akira’s arm, their hands once again finding each other, Goro found that he wouldn’t mind dancing all night at all, if only with Akira.

* * *

Their eyes met, red eyes locking onto grey, across and over the slow-moving forms of the cognitions dancing in the ballroom that Joker had sought refuge in; the Thieves had scattered after they tipped the security levels too high, summoning a wave of shadows that chased them down the halls of the ship. He weaved through the crowd, watched as Crow detached himself from the wall as well to meet him halfway.

“Joker. Long time no see.”

“Crow.” He nodded back coolly, sidestepping a pair of waltzing cognitions, only to bump into another pair of dancers. He apologized, out of habit mostly— it wasn’t like the cognitions actually minded, lost as they were in their endless dance— and from the corner of his eye, he noticed that Crow wasn’t faring any better himself, his mask almost impaling itself in a passing woman’s stiff coiffed hair.

“I suppose this is hardly the place for a chat,” Crow said once the dancers had cleared away; his voice pleasant, as if they weren’t in the ship that housed his father’s twisted desires; as if they were back at Leblanc, exchanging barbs over a game of chess on the counter. “Shall we relocate somewhere less crowded? I should be able to get us a private booth at the restaurant.”

Tempting as it was, the shadows roaming the hallways made Joker reconsider. Even with all the Personas he kept at his disposal, challenging shadows by himself was too dangerous; all it took was one mistake, one tiny misstep, and he was gone. Akira had never wandered the Metaverse alone, too used to hearing Mona or Oracle in his ears. So instead, he grabbed Crow’s arm, “On the contrary, this place works just fine. These cognitions aren’t paying us any attention and the the shadows shouldn’t notice us among the crowd. So Crow,” Joker purred and popped his signature smirk on his face, “Dance with me?”

It took Crow a moment— mulling over his invitation in his head, checking and checking and checking again for traps, for agendas— until he too was smirking. Joker released his arm to position himself so they stood face to face, in line with the neat rows the cognitions had arranged themselves in in preparation for their next dance. They began to move with the baying of the violins, slowly circling around each other, their hands intertwined.

“For someone who tried to kill me, you don’t look surprised to see me here.” Joker remarked as soon as he’d grasped the rhythm and let his body move along with the music.

Crow merely snorted in response, an undignified sound that contrasted the princely aura of his Metaverse costume. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice your little plan?” He asked, voice still sickeningly pleasant, barely concealing the steel that Joker could detect beneath his playful veneer. “Didn’t you think that I, of all people, would be familiar with the feeling of entering the Metaverse? You underestimate me, Joker. But please, do send my regards to Sae-san for her magnificent acting. I didn’t realize she was on your side until she showed me your phone.”

Joker grimaced. “We may have panicked a little and went with the first plan we thought up. We knew you were planning to betray us, but we weren’t expecting to hear you about a murder plot when we bugged your phone.” He explained, pausing as they separated to loop behind another pair of cognitions. “Why didn’t you turn us in? You went through all that trouble, and then you don’t even bother to finish the job?”

“You see, I didn’t feel the need to kill you anymore. Shido-san truly believed that you had died in the police station, and your injuries should have kept you out of the way until I could put my plan into motion,” explained the detective. “You were wrong by the way. I was rather surprised to see you running around here so soon. That doctor friend of yours must be quite talented.”

Joker tried to meet his eyes, but Crow kept his gaze firmly trained away from his dance partner, his hair and his mask hiding all traces of his expression. But spending time with the detective had sharpened his skills in observation, and he could tell that there was more to this than what the other boy had said. “Crow… Goro, stop lying. Tell me the truth.” Joker brushed against his shoulder lightly as they passed each other after another loop.

“I… I don’t understand what you mean. I’ve already explained my reasoning to you... I don’t know what else you expect to hear from me.” Crow replied. His princely façade was still up, regal as he took one carefully measured step after another on the dance floor, but Joker could see his immaculate white suit turn a sinister black and blue in patches, could see a hint of something black covering his hair and the rest of his face before it faded away.

“That doesn’t explain why you’re here. The election is still weeks away. Or why you haven’t tried to stop us now. Your plan is ruined as soon as we steal Shido’s heart, right?” Joker insisted. “And earlier, we messed up. We were fighting that noble on the pool deck and… and we almost lost Haru. But there was that sound and _something_ hurt that shadow. It bought us enough time to get out of there safely. That was you, wasn’t it?” Crow didn’t respond, but Joker knew he had him. “Your outfit looked different, but I can recognize the sound of your raygun anywhere. You were so happy when I gave it to you back at the casino since it sounded just like the one from that Galaxy Wars movie that you kept insisting we watch.”

Goro shook his head and sighed, and Joker stared in wonder as his prince outfit melted away to reveal a black and blue bodysuit, with belts crossed haphazardly all over his chest and his limbs. His pointy red mask was also replaced with a black helmet that covered his entire head. “I… I suppose I had a change of heart.” He admitted. “I thought I was set on my path, that I could sacrifice everything just for the sake of my revenge but… at the interrogation room… even without your stupid plan, I found that I couldn’t go through with it. I wouldn’t have been able to pull the trigger on you. And I…” Crow’s mouth opened to continue but seemed to have thought against it and fell silent.

“Crow,” Joker’s feet stopped, causing Crow to stop as well to look at him in bemusement, “you should join us. For real this time. Let’s take down Shido together.”

“I—”

The ballroom door slammed open and three shadows rushed in, making a beeline straight for Joker and Crow. The cognitions scattered all over the dance floor screamed in terror and quickly ran to the sides of the room.

Joker pulled out his dagger, his back pressing against Crow’s. The faint sound of metal told him the other boy had readied his sword as well. “I’ll be hearing your answer later. Let’s get out of here for now.”

“Sounds like a plan, leader.”

* * *

The god of control loomed over Shibuya; his myriad arms reached over the entire city and unleashed a wave of dark energy, knocking down the Phantom Thieves. The cheering crowd slowly quieted, each person one-by-one falling silent, their eyes blank as if under a trance. Soon, all of Tokyo was silent.

“You cannot win against me.” Yaldabaoth taunted as he continued to spread his power, the red skies of the Metaverse and his rays of control slowly creeping past the city boundaries. “My control is the ultimate truth of this world. Begone!"

“He’s healing!” Oracle screamed through Prometheus. “The people are feeding him their energy again. What’s going on?”

“No!” shouted Mona, crawling back to his feet. “It’s this darkness! He’s putting everyone under his control! Guys, I—” 

“Don’t you give up now, you stupid cat! We need to do something! We can’t let this asshole win like this!” Skull shouted, pounding his fist onto the hard stone of the platform, willfully ignoring how his hands were turning translucent.

“He’s right, Mona.” said Noir. “We can’t give up here. Everyone’s counting on us!”

“But there’s no one left to believe in us. It’s only a matter of time until we disappear too." Mona said, his eyes downcast, his glow dimming. “I’m sorry, everyone. There’s no hope left… Everyone’s gone...”

“I wouldn’t say everyone.” Crow said as he looked over the stone platform and down into the quiet city below.

Joker nodded in agreement. “There are still people who believe in us. Can’t you hear them?”

_“Take him down, Phantom Thieves!”_

_“Don’t you dare lose now! Finish what you started!”_

_“You better win this!”_

“I… You’re right. We are the Phantom Thieves and we’ll take this world back! And we’ll start by stealing back the hearts of everyone here.” Mona declared, once again glowing brightly. “Let’s go, Mercurius! Show everyone our will of rebellion!”

Mercurius spun into existence. His usual staff was slung over his back, his hands instead holding what looked to be a lyre. The rest of the Thieves, minus Joker and Crow, followed suit and summoned their own Personas, each of them also holding an instrument of their own. They started playing, producing a [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnjXDuX2ISk) that echoed in between the high-rises of Tokyo.

“What’s going on?” Panther asked, circling Hecate to inspect the keyboard she was playing.

“I-I don’t know.” Mona replied. “But it’s working! They’re waking up!” He pointed at the crowd, where a handful of people had regained the spark in their eyes and started cheering as well.

“I’m afraid it’s not fast enough.” Crow warned. “The Metaverse is spreading over the real world much faster than that. The music isn't enough somehow. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?”

“Art, in all of its forms, have the power to convey emotions to their audience,” Fox chimed in, “And our feelings must be reflected in the song our Personas are playing. Perhaps accompanying our music with a dance would be make our message more effective?”

“A dance?! Are you crazy?” Skull exclaimed. He gestured at Yaldabaoth, who was facing away from the Thieves as he worked to maintain his hold. “That guy’ll kill us as soon as he notices. We don’t even know if that’s going to work.”

“Then let’s do this quickly while he’s still distracted.” said Queen. “We can’t beat him until we free Shibuya.”

“It’s worth a shot.” Joker finally declared. “Take your places everyone.”

The team moved as one, swinging their arms and stepping in tandem, and leaped in time with the drumbeats produced by Captain Kidd. The Thieves split into pairs, each group taking their turn in the spotlight, starting with Skull and Panther, then Oracle and Fox; with each pair that danced, the cheering around Central Square continue to grow in volume. The Thieves themselves felt more solid, more energetic with every shout of encouragement they heard.

“....!” Yaldabaoth had finally noticed them, but it was too late; all his efforts were spent maintaining his failing grip over the masses. The Thieves grinned at each other and continued dancing, the noise below increasing with their every move.

The music came to a head just as Joker took center stage by himself. His every move exuded power and confidence, before he staggered back weakly, clutching at his head. He threw his arms to his sides, and mimed falling to his knees before he caught himself, his arms swinging as if struggling against bindings that tied his hands together.

“Need a hand?” Crow smirked as he jumped into the stage. They danced, moving their limbs in wide motions, in wild movements that weaved together in perfect harmony. The two of them parted just as the rest of the Thieves joined in, each of them adding their own individual flair to their moves. They continued until their Personas faded, until the sound of their music was replaced with a steady chant of _“Phantom Thieves!”,_ until Yaldabaoth screamed in anger and frustration, charging up another volley of his dark rays.

Joker grabbed Crow’s hand, and together they charged at the Demiurge. Crow could feel the power coursing through his veins, an electric charge that flowed between him and Joker through the contact, fueled by the people that screamed and shouted for their victory. They both reached for their masks and ripped them off simultaneously.

“Persona!”

“Persona!”

Satanael and Loki appeared in a halo of blue flame, chains lazily floating and criss-crossing around them. The Personas nodded to each as their wielders grinned wickedly and shouted to each use their strongest attack; the wave of energy brought forth by Laevateinn mixed and melded together with

“World’s End!”

* * *

Akira felt weightless— buoyed up by the sounds of cheering and whistling from the crowd around the dance floor; by their rhythmic clapping, in tune with the deep bass that tied down and brought together the lively sounds produced by the brass band— like the firm grip on his hands that kept him from drifting far away and up into space.

And he’s flying, his path guided by a steady arm on his waist. His feet fell soundlessly back onto the polished wooden floor, with nary a pause before they’re off again; a staccato of steps that whirled into a controlled spin and punctuated by a kick.

In the downbeats of the music, he finally let himself breathe. His feet moved through the steps automatically while Akira took in the sights around him:

His closest friends, suited up and radiant; Ryuji and Futaba seemingly competing on who could cheer and hoot the loudest; Ann holding a sobbing Haru, running gentle hands through her short curls while Morgana worriedly pawed at Haru from his place at her shoulder; Yusuke intensely drawing into his sketchbook, occasionally accepting offerings of food and drink from a fussing Makoto;

_Goro_ , with a few beads of sweat tracing down the curve of his neck and down the collar of his dress shirt, with the easy grin on his face that never failed to make the blood boil in Akira’s veins, with his crimson eyes fully trained on Akira’s own;

At his rolled-up sleeves— folded over much more meticulously than Akira’s own— that revealed toned arms that served as Akira’s lifeline throughout the many swings and turns of their dance; at the matching red and brown vests they were both wearing under their blazers, both of which had been long-abandoned and draped over a chair as they stepped and twirled and jumped in the sweltering heat of the summer evening;

At the matching golden bands on their left ring fingers.

And with Goro matching his every step, his every move, with his hands meeting Goro's at every turn, Akira wanted to keep dancing like this his entire life.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a +1 scene for this story, but I'm afraid you're going to hate me if I add that. I might post it in a separate story and the two to a series. Maybe. 
> 
> Anyway, yell at me in the comments or on my twitter [@hereliesandy](https://twitter.com/hereliesandy).
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
